I am fascinated by the signaling events inducing cell differentiation and organogenesis during embryonic development. I am particularly interested in the effects of exposure to environmental contaminants during development, such as subtle genetic changes that predispose the individual to diseases such as cancer.

My first rotation was in the lab of Dr. Kristin Artinger, who is interested in the development of the early spinal cord, including the development of Rohan-Beard neurons. I looked at the interactions between the ectoderm and neural plate in the Xenopus embryo in the formation of these neurons, and found that bone morphogenic protein-4 may have a role in the induction of Rohon-Beard neurons.

My current rotation is in the lab of Dr. Trevor Williams, whose research is focused on the AP-2 family of transcription factors. My project will involve identifying the expression pattern of AP-2a and looking for morphological changes in several mutant strains of mice.

General Interests:
I enjoy horsebackriding, painting/drawing, hiking, literature/fine arts, playing piano/guitar, playing outside in the sun and snow, and teaching my cat tricks.

Hernandez-Lagunas L, Choi IF, Kaji T, Simpson P, Hershey C, Zhou Y, Zon L, Mercola M, Artinger KB. Zebrafish narrowminded disrupts the transcription factor prdm1 and is required for neural crest and sensory neuron specification. Dev Biol 2005 Feb 15;278(2):347-57.

Latest Publications in PubMed